Mountains to Molehills: 'Fantasy'

Published: Friday, January 24, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 3:18 p.m.

Hendersonville’s Phil Bentley says Allan Roberts of Penrose gave an interesting response to his discussion on the history of political rebellions but seems to be misguided on a few things. “The American Revolution was much more than the Revolutionary War. Nothing good would have been achieved by winning that war without the brilliant creation of a new kind of nation by our Founders,” Mr. Bentley points out. “The British had a hard time in the war because of the ocean between Britain and the colonies, but the British really lost the war because it was so badly managed from their end. This points up the difference between freeing ourselves from an overseas power then and making war on our own government in the future. We already had such war a century and a half ago. The result was the bloodiest war in our history with almost 650,000 casualties, about 2 percent of our population. I mentioned how unhistorical the conjecture — it cannot be more than that — that such tyrants as Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin could have been put out of power by an armed citizenry. In Hitler’s case, that was not going to happen because Hitler was so popular in Germany. He was even popular in this country until after we were at war with Germany. Where it comes to wishful thinking like guns taking out tyrants, I think of an old saying: ‘If Grandpa had wheels, he’d be a bicycle.’ The historical record simply does not support the assertion that guns could have taken out Hitler or Stalin. That’s a fantasy. What do you get when you employ violence to overthrow a dictator? You get Syria. I took part in the civil rights movement. We were unarmed and committed to nonviolence facing an opposition that had guns, bombs, lynch mobs and the support of the police and the local government. We got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and brought an end to legalized bigotry. India won independence from the British by means of a nonviolent campaign, and the British did shoot unarmed demonstrators. India is still the world’s largest democracy. I have met people who have helped overthrow tyrants in such places as the Philippines, Liberia and Chile. These countries now have democratic regimes. All of those activists have two things in common with Gandhi and Dr. King: They are committed to nonviolence, and they are deeply religious. I think the historical record, especially since World War II, is that the only way to overthrow a tyranny and replace it with a free society is nonviolence. The idea that an armed rebellion will take a nation, including ours, from tyranny to freedom is a fantasy best left to comic books and video games. If you want to fight against injustice and for liberty, leave your guns at home. The struggle may take longer, but you are more likely to win, and the result will be far better.”

RESPONDING to Hendersonville resident Larry Mobley’s words suggesting President Barack Obama isn’t listening and that Americans are “looking for cheap and easy,” Ray Antonucci says, “Boy, Mr. Mobley couldn’t have spelled out our present situation in this country any better. I couldn’t agree more.”

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Blue Ridge Community Health Services is offering a Lunch and Learn on Wednesday for anyone interested in hearing about the history of the organization, learning about community health centers, touring the medical facility and obtaining information about the health insurance marketplace. The event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the Community Education Room on the second floor of the Blue Ridge medical building at the corner of Howard Gap Road and Highway 64 East. You can reserve a seat by contacting Tanya Burdette at either 233-2226 or tburdette@brchs.com.

<p>Hendersonville's Phil Bentley says Allan Roberts of Penrose gave an interesting response to his discussion on the history of political rebellions but seems to be misguided on a few things. “The American Revolution was much more than the Revolutionary War. Nothing good would have been achieved by winning that war without the brilliant creation of a new kind of nation by our Founders,” Mr. Bentley points out. “The British had a hard time in the war because of the ocean between Britain and the colonies, but the British really lost the war because it was so badly managed from their end. This points up the difference between freeing ourselves from an overseas power then and making war on our own government in the future. We already had such war a century and a half ago. The result was the bloodiest war in our history with almost 650,000 casualties, about 2 percent of our population. I mentioned how unhistorical the conjecture — it cannot be more than that — that such tyrants as Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin could have been put out of power by an armed citizenry. In Hitler's case, that was not going to happen because Hitler was so popular in Germany. He was even popular in this country until after we were at war with Germany. Where it comes to wishful thinking like guns taking out tyrants, I think of an old saying: 'If Grandpa had wheels, he'd be a bicycle.' The historical record simply does not support the assertion that guns could have taken out Hitler or Stalin. That's a fantasy. What do you get when you employ violence to overthrow a dictator? You get Syria. I took part in the civil rights movement. We were unarmed and committed to nonviolence facing an opposition that had guns, bombs, lynch mobs and the support of the police and the local government. We got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and brought an end to legalized bigotry. India won independence from the British by means of a nonviolent campaign, and the British did shoot unarmed demonstrators. India is still the world's largest democracy. I have met people who have helped overthrow tyrants in such places as the Philippines, Liberia and Chile. These countries now have democratic regimes. All of those activists have two things in common with Gandhi and Dr. King: They are committed to nonviolence, and they are deeply religious. I think the historical record, especially since World War II, is that the only way to overthrow a tyranny and replace it with a free society is nonviolence. The idea that an armed rebellion will take a nation, including ours, from tyranny to freedom is a fantasy best left to comic books and video games. If you want to fight against injustice and for liberty, leave your guns at home. The struggle may take longer, but you are more likely to win, and the result will be far better.”</p><p>RESPONDING to Hendersonville resident Larry Mobley's words suggesting President Barack Obama isn't listening and that Americans are “looking for cheap and easy,” Ray Antonucci says, “Boy, Mr. Mobley couldn't have spelled out our present situation in this country any better. I couldn't agree more.”</p><p>LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Blue Ridge Community Health Services is offering a Lunch and Learn on Wednesday for anyone interested in hearing about the history of the organization, learning about community health centers, touring the medical facility and obtaining information about the health insurance marketplace. The event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the Community Education Room on the second floor of the Blue Ridge medical building at the corner of Howard Gap Road and Highway 64 East. You can reserve a seat by contacting Tanya Burdette at either 233-2226 or tburdette@brchs.com.</p>